Work / monument · artifact

Buddhagupta stone

c. 5th century · 5th century · Also known as Buddhagupta inscription

The Buddhagupta stone is an inscribed tablet of about the 5th century CE found in 1834 in Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula, south of Kedah. Its Sanskrit inscription, in an early South Indian script, prays for a safe voyage for the master mariner (mahanavika) Buddhagupta of Raktamrittika, and it is carved with a stupa. It is among the earliest evidence of Buddhist Indian merchants in Southeast Asia.

Buddhagupta stone
Image: L joo · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Old Kedah

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Buddhagupta stone. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/buddhagupta-stone
MLA
“Buddhagupta stone.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/buddhagupta-stone. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Buddhagupta stone.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/buddhagupta-stone.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Buddhagupta stone’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/buddhagupta-stone (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻